The ASI should do more to protect monuments
The tourism potential alone could pay for the up keep of many historical sites
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is the agency responsible for the preservation and upkeep of the monuments that are important to (in the ASI’s own words) the “cultural heritage of the nation”. It is, therefore, a serious lapse on the part of the organisation when 24 monuments of historical importance are found to have ceased to exist in various parts of the country. The information came to light when the minister of state for culture and tourism, Mahesh Sharma was responding to an unstarred question raised in the Lok Sabha regarding the preservation and upkeep of monuments under the ASI, and the steps taken to keep such monuments free from encroachment.
Rapid urbanisation, and the increasing demand for space, allows neglected monuments to become spaces into which settlements easily encroach. In his reply, the minister touched upon this issue and listed the measures his ministry has taken to minimise this. He said that Superintending Archaeologists of the ASI have the authority to issue show cause notices against encroachers, and they are also vested with the powers of an Estate Officer to enable them to issue eviction notices to encroachers. Evidently, these powers are not being used adequately or effectively. Some of the obvious problems could be those of funding and implementation. Given that there are thousands of monuments under the care of the ASI, spread across the length and breadth of the country, proper budget allocations, and proper implementation of the plans are certainly a mammoth task.
However, given that the tourism potential of such monuments – if maintained and marketed well – is immense, the monetary benefits of an initial investment in historical sites could yield enough returns to be able to sustain the maintenance itself. In a country seemingly obsessed with the grandeur of its past; we are doing quite a shoddy job of preserving the remains of our glorious history.